Exit polls are entertainment, enjoy weekend, we are coming back: Siddaramaiah

Agencies
May 13, 2018

Bengaluru, Mar 13: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asked people to relax and enjoy the weekend and not worry about the exit polls that predicted a hung assembly with some giving a slight advantage to the Congress and others to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A hung House could position the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), the third political force in the state, as the potential kingmaker.

On Twitter, the chief minister dubbed the exit polls as entertainment for the next two days.

“Exit opinion polls are entertainment for the next 2 days Relying on poll of polls is like a person who can’t swim crossing a river on foot relying on a statistician who told him the average depth of the river is 4 feet Please note average of 6+4+2 is 4. At 6 feet you drown! ½”

“So, Dear party workers, supporters & well wishers, don’t worry about exit polls. Relax & enjoy your weekend. We are coming back. 2/2,” he said in another tweet.

As the polling ended on Saturday after days of bitter election campaign by both the Congress and the BJP, chief ministerial aspirants thanked people for participating in the election process and expressed hope about public support in their favour.

“Dear People of Karnataka, Thank you for exercising your franchise today.I thank all the officers & staff connected with conducting the Election for their hard work & sincerity. And finally, to all the workers of the Congress party - I am indebted to you for all your efforts,” chief minister Siddaramaiah said in a tweet.

“We have fought this election on the plank of our 5 year performance and our vision for the state. I am confident the people of Karnataka will bless us to continue serving them. #KarnatakaWithCongress” he said in another tweet.

BJP state chief and its chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa said his party is headed towards a landslide victory with the support of the people.

“Thank you Karnataka! Gratitude to the people of Karnataka for voting in large numbers today”.

@BJP4Karnataka isheaded towards a landslide victory with all your blessings and support! #KarnatakaVotes4BJP #KarnatakaElections2018” Yeddyurappa said in a tweet.

Indicating a tight race between BJP and Congress, most exit polls for the Karnataka Assembly electionstoday forecast a hung assembly with JD(S) likely to play the kingmaker, but were divided on which of the two national parties would emerge as the largest in the House.

“I sincerely thank all the voters of Karnataka for coming out in large numbers to exercise their franchise and ensuring that polling process was peaceful,’ JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy said in a tweet.

The exit polls triggered a war of words between the Congress and the BJP, which only backed the polls that showed them as the favourites and claimed they would win when the results are declared on May 15.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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News Network
December 7,2025

SHRIMP.jpg

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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